


Black Marks and Cholrine

by loveavillain (copper28)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Family, Forgiveness, Insecurity, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 18:38:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5216432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copper28/pseuds/loveavillain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's a hot summer day at Malfoy Manor, and the pools are in full use, but can Narcissa convince her husband to relax and enjoy the heat?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Black Marks and Cholrine

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I wrote in my phone notes one night, so if its shit I do apologise, but I thought I might as well post it. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy.

The heat was unbearable. Narcissa had barely got outside and she was sweating - and she was wearing a bathing suit.

She stepped out into the sun, the white patio burning her feet. Hissing, she made a dash to the edge of the garden pool, careful not to spill her drink.

This summer it was uncommon to see the water still, children were constantly playing and splashing, and in the separate adult pool alongside it was rare to see the water uninhabited by people lounging on lilos.

Narcissa slipped into the calmer water, glass in one hand. In the shallow end of the adults’ pool, a few of their guests had gathered. Mrs Granger and Mrs Weasley were stood up to their waists with identical glasses to Narcissa, chatting over the sound of the children playing.

"Wondered where you had got to." Wendy Granger said with a sip of her drink.

Narcissa smiled back. Wendy and Molly had become good friends with her after the war, and she had been more than happy to get over the feuds with their families. "Trying to convince Lucius to leave his study. I think I'm wearing him thin."

Molly chuckled. "If you begged him enough he won't refuse."

Narcissa shook her head. "I don't think he'll come out with this many people here."

They'd never had so many people over at the pool before. Hermione, her sister Andromeda, and Ginny were on lilos drifting around the pool with the three; Arthur and Oscar Granger were at the other end, beers in hand and no doubt discussing some muggle thing or another. In the children's pool it was chaos. Hugo, Albus, Lily, Scorpius and James were all trying to swim under and tip over the boats that held Harry and Ron, while Draco, Teddy, Rose and Bellatrix had devised their own plan of attack and were using floats and blow up crocodiles to try knocking the two men out of the boats. Neville and Luna were adding to the chaos by making sure there were good waves and splashing at the times of the attacks.

Lucius refused to join them.

It wasn't the actual company that he refused to be a part of. He'd surprisingly formed quite a good friendship with Oscar of all people. Things were still frosty with Arthur, but Narcissa didn't think that would ever change. At least they were civil to one another and not fighting in shops. Lucius was also a hit with all the children - they all adored it when he played with them. He was a favourite, there was no denying it, but on a day like today he would not come out.

Narcissa was sure he would stay hidden for the entire day, so when a dark figure emerged at the door, her mouth fell agape mid way through her sentence.

"What?" Wendy asked, turning to see what had caught her attention.

She turned to see Lucius step out into the sunlight, dressed in black shorts that came down to his knees, and a black long sleeved shirt.

"Please tell me he's going to take his shirt off." Molly said, staring at him in awe.

Wendy snorted, and Molly smacked her arm. "Not like that, he'll die of heatstroke with long sleeves and in all black!"

Narcissa hummed her agreement, and watched carefully as her husband stood awkwardly on the patio. "Bella will notice him. If anyone can get him in the pool it's Bella."

Bellatrix Malfoy had her grandfather wrapped around her little finger. Narcissa had thought he spoilt Scorpius and Draco, but that was nothing to what Bellatrix could get out of him.

Sure enough, Bella ceased her attack with the float. "Grandpa!" She called with glee, paddling her way to the edge of the pool. "You'll help get Harry and Ron!"

Lucius looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him. "Perhaps later sweetheart."

Bella pouted, a ploy that always softened him. "Pleaseeee." She drawled.

"Come on Father, we'll show Potter and the weasel." Draco growled, playfully glaring at the two men in the boats.

Lucius hesitated, then moved towards the edge of the pool. "Looks to me like you were doing okay on your own." He gave Draco a pointed look, and Draco instantly stopped with his attempts at convincing him to get in the pool, splashing Bellatrix and successfully diverting her attention.

Wendy turned back to her friends, a frown on her face. "Why won't he just get in? I've never understood. He can swim can't he?" She asked.

Narcissa nodded, and glanced at her company. "Yes... He doesn't," she paused, chewing her words over. "He's not comfortable in his own skin."

Molly clicked instantly. "Ahh. Tattoos and scars he doesn't want people to see?"

Narcissa nodded.

Wendy clicked her tongue. "Well, by the look of that tight shirt, he's got nothing to feel self conscious about." She winked playfully at Narcissa, and she chuckled .

"You're damn right there." She said throatily, and they all laughed.

"What's so funny?" Came a drawl from the edge of the pool.

Narcissa twisted to see her husband drop to sit on the edge, letting his legs dangle in the water. "Nothing dear. Are you getting in?"

"I am in." He kicked a foot, sending a wave Narcissa's way.

She sent one back, water lapping at the side of the pool and splashing up his leg. "Splashing games are for the children's pool Lucius."

He chuckled and held up his hands. "My apologies."

"How have you not cooked in that shirt?" Molly questioned, and Wendy held back a giggle.

Lucius merely raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine."

"I can see the sweat dripping off you from here." Narcissa said in a hard tone.

True enough, sweat rolled down his cheek from his forehead, and his hair was sticking to his face. He shifted uncomfortably, glancing at his left arm.

Narcissa sighed. "Excuse me a moment." She said, and she waded off to the edge where her husband sat. "What is wrong?"

He didn't respond for a moment, and then bowed his head, avoiding her gaze. "I can't, I can't take it off. I don't want to have to explain to the children about anything on my body." Lucius said as Narcissa settled herself between his legs, resting her arms at his sides.

She moved closer to him, forcing him to look at her. "They're not idiots, Lucius. Do you really think they've never caught a glimpse, never heard our name in a history lesson? And they still talk to you, they're still here. They understand, they forgive something that never happened to them. Their parents forgave you, they won't hesitate to either. You will be fine." She reached up to peck his cheek and Lucius growled.

"They won't have learned about the Azkaban tattoos. They won't have learned about the scars." He said, his hand finding hers and squeezing.

She shook her head, gazing up at him. His anxiousness and constant paranoia was something she had learned to deal with and coax him out of long ago. After the war, after Azkaban, after the Dark Lord, Lucius had been a wreck. She frowned at the memories, and pushed them from her mind. He didn't need reminders, he needed her strength. "They've seen the one on your neck. They'll know there's more with that. As for scars, you don't have to answer if they ask. Make something up. You can't sit out here in a long sleeve, my love. You're hot enough as it is." She said with a wink.

He laughed at that and his tense shoulders began to relax as he went silent, gazing at her, his eyes flicking across her face.

"What? Has my make up run?" She asked with a slight hint of panic in her voice.

He laughed again, brushing her cheek with his thumb and holding her face, tilting her up to meet his lips in a slow kiss. "No. You look beautiful."

"Gross!" Scorpius shouted from across the other pool, and Lucius snapped his head up.

"What did you say young man?" His voice was hard, and an unknowing ear would never be able to detect the playful lilt to it.

Scorpius grinned, sitting up straighter on his crocodile. "You heard me."

"Right." Lucius gave his wife's hand one last squeeze, and then he jumped up from the edge of the pool, ripping his shirt off in one swoop.

Narcissa didn't miss the little gasps from Wendy and Molly, but she paid them no mind. Lucius had once been nothing but a bag of bones, but now he had returned to his lithe figure, lean and muscular. His torso was littered with Azkaban inmate tattoos, and he had a few scars to go with it. They snaked up his side and across his back too. Some small and thin, some long and raised, and others so large that they looked like they should have killed him. The worst was across his back. It was one of the last ones he received from the Dark Lord, a particularly nasty curse that had him on the floor and writhing in pain within seconds, something the cruciatus curse had never achieved. The scar was a bright white against his pale skin, and it shot down his back like a lightning strike. He always shuddered when Narcissa ran her hands over it. Then there was obviously the Dark Mark. They had thought it would fade, with the Dark Lord gone, but it never did.

Lucius looked like he wanted to put his shirt back on and run for the Manor. He shot Narcissa a panicked glance, and she gave him a reassuring smile, nodding her encouragement. That was all he needed to gather his courage, and the next thing they knew he had launched himself into the children's pool, gliding under the water like a shark and coming up to drag Scorpius off his high horse. The resulting screams of laughter were joyous to listen to, and Narcissa smiled at them all fondly. She watched as Bellatrix instantly abandoned her float for her grandfather, fixing herself across his shoulders and demanding they attack at once.

"That girl adores him." Molly said gently.

Narcissa smiled, and watched her husband obey his granddaughter, swimming up next to Harry's boat so she could clamber in and push him out. Lucius laughed, and Bellatrix threw herself back out of the boat and into his arms, kissing his cheek in glee. Draco pretended to be offended at the clear favouritism, and that started the biggest splash war the Manor had ever seen.

Narcissa saw the inevitable fact that they would be dragged into the game, and started to glide towards the children's pool, Granger and Weasley in tow. She turned to Molly with a content smile. "They all adore him, he forgets that sometimes."


End file.
